Shanghai Street Food and Bar, a new Chinese-inspired eatery from Aaron Smith, a marketing veteran of more than 20 years, is slated to open in Roswell in June 2019.
It will replace Krespos Seafood House, at 108 Magnolia Street.
Steve Josovitz of The Shumacher Group, Inc. sold Krespos Seafood House to Smith who has held executive-level positions for companies like Muzino and Edible Arrangements.
“My dad comes from the restaurant business, so it’s been in my blood the entire time I was in corporate America,” Smith in a telephone interview Wednesday told What Now Atlanta.
“[Shanghai cuisine] is my absolute favorite. I have a love and a passion for this food.”
Robbie Pacheco, former executive chef of Restaurant 356 in the Porsche Experience Center of Atlanta, will helm the kitchen.
“I’ve always had a love for ethnic cuisine and have many memories eating in New York and Chicago’s Chinatown districts as a young chef,” Pacheco said.
“When I saw the opportunity to do a concept in Roswell, modern Chinese street food just made sense to me. It’s edgy, different, yet familiar. I don’t want all the pretentious vibe you might get from fine dining. I want to bring late night Chinatown to Downtown Roswell.”
While the “Chinese-inspired” menu is still being crafted, expect dishes like sweet and savory Bao and Dan Dan Noodles.
Shanghai Street Food’s full bar will focus on “approachable cocktails” and will include beer and wine.
“We’re not trying to make ourselves a fixture of the dining scene but rather a fixture of the neighborhood,” Smith, who lives five minutes from the restaurant, said.
While there are no immediate plans to expand, a second location would most likely open inside the Perimeter.